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Shell Oil May Have Spurred Gulf QuakeExtraction of oil, gas, and brines can trigger earth movements. The epicenter of the 5.2 earthquake on Feb. 10 coincides with Shell Oil's Brutus field. Could the Gulf Coast be priming for an Aceh-like tsunami? by Paul Noel
It would appear that Shell Oil company may have triggered a 5.2 earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico. The location of a 5.2 quake recorded by the US Geological Survey on Feb. 10 is approximately centered near the Shell Oil operations under their gigantic floating platform "Brutus." (Ref.) The earthquake happened in the zone affected by this particular oil and gas development. (Ref.) With the heavy pressure to ramp up production and recover from the Hurricanes, it is likely that the operations are proceeding at breakneck speed. A nation desperate for oil in a world strangling for oil has to drive production at all costs. These heroic workers are driving against awful odds to try to keep the world oil supply coming. At the same time the world is fast coming up against the realities that the
damage from our dependence on oil is severe. This earthquake should serve as a
warning. It is in a zone the US Geologic Servey considers to be at very low risk
of earthquakes. (Ref.) The price of dependence on oil and gas while dragging our feet on development of alternative energy systems is starting to bring serious consequences. If the world demand for oil continues to grow, shortly the air pollution, earthquakes, land subsidence and other problems that result will seriously damage the environment world wide. Do we have to see a tsunami flood the southern USA doing many times the
damage of a Hurricane Katrina before people awaken and say that we need to slow
down and change course towards a more sane energy policy. Is alternative energy
so expensive when weighed against the damages we are starting to suffer? Page posted by Sterling
D. Allan Feb. 14, 2006 |
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